May 24, 2012

Sparkling city…I am back!

Can you believe I am supposed to be packing right now?

I can not complain too much because my best friend came up last night so we could get dressed up, sit on a patio under twinkle-light-filled-trees, eat fabulous food at one of our favorite spots, and talk. Because the fact that we talk still everyday (and text) does not make up for being near each other on a regular basis. So she came…and soon we are heading south to the sparkling city by the sea.

We have birthdays to celebrate and goodbyes to say. And….I get to read Sadie to our family and friends while eating cupcakes!

If I’m honest, it’s a little surreal. It’s one thing to read it to a group of strangers or even people who I have built a friendship based on the fact that we are both writers. It’s an entirely different thing to sit in front of people who you have lived your life alongside and share such a personal project. (Me…over-thinking things? NEVER!) But the overriding emotion is excitement!

So if you are in Corpus Christi this weekend…come have a cupcake! Come wish us well on our new adventure. And finally…. see what all this endless Sadie chatter is really about!

P.S. Little known secret… we just went up on Amazon!

P.S.S. If you want me to sign your book and can’t come to an upcoming event, order them directly from our website.

 

 

Posted by on May 24, 2012 in celebrations, moving, Sadie.

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May 18, 2012

Life in our {city}

So after months of anticipation, we are finally home.

At least four times a day I just breathe that statement in…and out.  I breathe it in when I catch a glimpse of the cityscape while going about my day. I breathe it in when I sneak away just after the sun has risen to find trees and water to be near…to wander, marvel, and even run. I breathe that statement in all the way down to my toes when I find myself drawn to the part of Austin where I first fell in love with this city…where I can easily meet a friend for coffee or have a picnic lunch without massive strategic planning involving childcare care, 200 miles of driving , or packing. (Have I mentioned how tired I was of the packing?)

Yesterday I did something that made it all very real. It put this idea of a new life in ink the way even writing my new address down on the back of an envelope has not. I went grocery shopping. Not picnic shopping. Not dinner for a friend shopping. Not cocktail party shopping. But fill my freezer shopping.

So in my freezer is now more than ice and vodka. There is food…that is frozen because I will be here long enough that it can’t stay in the fridge. The whole kitchen is full of things for dinner on the patio watching the sun go down, for a lazy pajama clad brunch on Saturday morning, for packing up and exploring this weekend.

It’s a very sweet feeling. ♥

This week has been filled with the ever lately struggle for balance. Things are going well with Sadie. There is so much opportunity. So much ambition. So many chances for this to be important. But only one childhood for my kids. I’ve come to an understanding with myself…a very unfamiliar one…that I will take this slow. I will work as hard as I can between trips to the pool, making cupcakes, visiting the lego store, exploring our city, eating sno cones, trying new restaurants, reading out loud, spending time with friends, and living our life in our new city.

And on the eating sno cones note: I wake up every morning wondering how I can work in a Monkey In the Blender from Frigid Frog. After all,  there are only about 200 more days this year of the shaved ice eating season in Texas.

Posted by on May 18, 2012 in austin, moving, parenting, Sadie.

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May 12, 2012

That day is here (almost)

I thought I’d pop in here and tell you I’m alive. I’m laying in bed in denial that I have to pack & load the rest of my life in my car and deliver it to our Austin home. I am so tired. My brain is mush. I have reached the limit on how far one person can go on pure ambition and willpower. There is no where for my stress level to go. So I’m hiding from my life. Gladly. Thankfully. Need-idly.

Tomorrow is the day IT (move) happens. I’m counting on the burst of creative energy that often comes just in time courtesy of my finely tuned habit of procrastinating.

Or Daddy. Surely it’s his turn to orchestrate some of the longest, most strung out move in history. Right?

The third option is arson.

Here’s the thing. I hate stuff. Even when you think you have whittled it away to little, there is still so much STUFF! I fully realize I’m complaining about the blessed, abundantly full life I have. But what I am really saying is how disappointed in myself I am for tying up our resources and energy in this collection of stuff.

Or maybe I am just sick of packing, shuffling, and unpacking.

When we drive into our new city tomorrow and see the skyline that makes my heart do a little dance, I hope we are still content from the great lunch being planned for me and the grandmas. I hope I am mindful of the blessings of motherhood. I hope I am ready to enjoy ten days of {home} (before I drive back this way for birthday celebrations & a reading) and some much needed rest, quiet, and renewal.

And mostly I hope…I am done with all the damn packing.

Posted by on May 12, 2012 in austin, moving.

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